Chapter 263 The Gamble
The palace examination lasted only one day and mainly tested candidates' policy proposals.
As dusk fell, the exam ended, and the 268 exam papers were sealed and sealed with the names anonymized.
These exam papers would be sent to the desks of the examiners, who would then review and mark them, conduct a comprehensive evaluation, and select the top ten candidates for the palace examination. Finally, Emperor Jinghe would determine the rankings.
The results of the palace examination were not released for three days, and the candidates marched out of the palace gates in the same formation as when they arrived.
Looking at the last rays of the setting sun, Xu Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
A hand rested on his shoulder, and Song Zhihang's voice rang out: "How are you feeling?"
Xu Jin smiled and turned her head to look directly into Song Zhihang's eyes: "Not bad."
Excitement gleamed in Song Zhihang's eyes: "How about we make a bet?"
Just as Xu Jinnian was about to respond, Tan Zhenlin quickly squeezed between the two.
He rudely shoved Song Zhihang's hand away, put his arm around Xu Jinnian's shoulder, and looked at Song Zhihang with slight dissatisfaction: "We'll see in three days, what's the point of betting!"
It's not that I don't trust this kid's character, it's that he comes from a noble family. If the examiners recognize his handwriting and, in order to curry favor with the Marquis of Yongyi's family, draw more circles on his answer sheet, how can his senior brother compare?
Song Zhihang found Tan Zhenlin an eyesore and pushed him aside, saying, "I bet Mingyu that you, who came in last place in the provincial examination, are nothing to us."
Tan Zhenlin was mercilessly stabbed in the chest, and in a fit of rage and shame, he said:
"So what if you came in last place? You studied for ten more years than my senior brother, and you still lost to him in the imperial examination!"
Song Zhihang didn't care: "It's just a difference in ranking, I don't think I lost."
There is no first place in literature, but there is a second place in martial arts. He does not deny Mingyu's talent, but a single imperial examination cannot prove that he is inferior to Mingyu.
Tan Zhenlin knew perfectly well what was going on, but he firmly stood on his senior brother's side: "Keep being stubborn. When the results of the palace examination come out, if you fall behind your senior brother, let's see how you argue."
Song Zhihang rolled his eyes, then looked at Xu Jinnian: "So, tell me, are you going to bet or not?"
Xu Jinnian refused without hesitation: "No betting."
Song Zhihang raised an eyebrow slightly and used reverse psychology: "You don't even dare to make a bet? Are you convinced you'll lose?"
Xu Jinnian glanced at him and calmly uttered a few words: "My wife doesn't allow gambling."
Song Zhihang: "..."
Seeing his incredulous expression, Tan Zhenlin chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, offering words of comfort: "Gamblers never end well, you're right to listen to your wife on that."
As if suddenly remembering something, he exclaimed with realization, "Ah, I forgot, you're an older single man, and you don't have a wife yet!"
After saying that, Tan Zhenlin laughed even louder.
Song Zhihang once had a fiancée of similar social standing. When they reached marriageable age, both families were preparing for the wedding. Unfortunately, his fiancée's grandmother passed away, and he had to observe a year of mourning.
Just as the mourning period was ending, his fiancée's grandfather passed away, forcing him to continue observing the mourning period.
Just one month before the end of his mourning period, his fiancée's mother caught a cold and unfortunately passed away, forcing him to observe another three years of mourning.
Feeling guilty and not wanting to delay Song Zhihang's marriage, the fiancée's father took the initiative to return the engagement tokens and annul the engagement.
Just as Song Zhihang was taking the provincial examination, the Song family, fearing it would affect his performance, temporarily did not arrange a marriage for him.
Nowadays, Song Zhihang's backyard only has a few maids who serve him.
When Tan Zhenlin mocked him for being an older single man, even though it was the first time he had heard the term, Song Zhihang understood what it meant and retorted coldly, "Likewise."
We're all single, so who's more noble than whom?
Tan Zhenlin: "..."
The group didn't lower their voices, so everyone else could hear them clearly. They were all trying to suppress their laughter, their faces turning red.
Xu Jinnian, not wanting to be part of the commotion, promptly urged, "It's getting late, we should go home."
With that, he turned and walked toward his own carriage.
"snort!"
Song Zhihang glanced at Tan Zhenlin sideways, then turned and got into the carriage of the Marquis of Yongyi's residence.
Tan Zhenlin didn't care at all and happily followed Xu Jinnian's footsteps.
At this moment, Xu Jinnian and Song Zhihang were unaware that while they hadn't made a bet, the other examinees who were watching this scene had secretly set up a wager.
When Xu Jinnian returned to the Jiang residence, it was completely dark.
Two dim yellow lanterns hung at the entrance, and under the lanterns stood a woman in a thin jacket, smiling gently as she held her lower back.
As soon as Xu Jinnian stepped off the carriage and saw this scene, his eyes filled with tenderness. He quickly stepped forward and took Sheng An's hand: "Have you been waiting for a long time?"
Sheng An first observed his complexion, and seeing that there was nothing unusual, she smiled and said, "I didn't wait long. I just finished cooking and saw that you hadn't come back, so I came out to check."
Xu Jinnian helped her walk inside, deliberately slowing his pace: "Next time, just wait inside. Don't tire yourself out."
Sheng An nodded: "Okay."
The couple walked and talked, and when they entered the dining room, Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua were both there.
Dinner was cooked by Sheng An himself, and it tasted delicious, needless to say. The three men had a few drinks, and the atmosphere at the dinner table was exceptionally good.
The imperial examination was extremely demanding. After dinner, Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua didn't chat much, while Sheng An and Xu Jinnian returned to their residence first.
After a quick wash, the couple lay in bed snuggling together.
Sheng An said softly, "There is a three-month vacation after the palace examination. If we charter a boat and travel back to Qingzhou by water, my child and I should be fine."
The northern section of the Grand Canal has now thawed, and it takes no more than half a month to travel by boat from Beijing down the river to reach Qingzhou.
"You get seasick and you're heavy, you don't need to suffer like this."
Xu Jinnian didn't hesitate to deny Sheng An's suggestion, and gently placed his large hand on her lower abdomen:
"I have already spoken with Brother Fang and Brother Ye. If Grandpa, Grandma, and Father are willing to come to the capital, I would like to trouble them to send guards to escort them. In short, we cannot let you and the child take any risks."
Sheng An poked the man's hard chest: "What if the results of the palace examination come out and you're not among the top ranks, and you're sent to a local post? I can't just stay in the capital to give birth alone, can I?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Jinnian's attitude became even more resolute: "Then Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad must come even more."
Sheng An was speechless: "Don't you even look at how old Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad are? Can they withstand the hardships of traveling?"
Xu Jinnian coughed lightly, admitting that he hadn't thought of that earlier.
Seeing that his wife was genuinely worried, he chuckled and comforted her, "No, I did well in today's imperial examination and won't fall outside the top rank."
Sheng An knew that the man was not arrogant, and seeing his confidence, she felt a little relieved: "Then let's wait for the results of the palace examination to come out before we talk about it."
She has been away for half a year, and she misses her three elderly relatives at home, as well as the businesses of Shengyuan and Shengshi Restaurant. She wonders if anything has happened that the employees couldn't handle while she was away.
She knew in her heart that being pregnant made everything inconvenient, and she was unwilling to take the risks of having such a precious child with her.
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